Day Two

oh, no. not that day two. just day two of summer vacation, which is almost as bad - but not really.

Last Saturday was IT. The last day of sports related obligations for the year summer next six weeks. But look at that throw in thing the girlie's doing on that ohsowell manicured soccer field. There were like 48 million honey bees in these huge patches of clover - kids were freaking out all over the place. And look! Look at those super attentive boys just waiting to make the play. U6 Soccer is as exciting as watching paint dry but seriously - it's adorable.

And then we went out to dinner here and that was our view from the rooftop deck. Lobster rolls, clam rolls and sunshine. Sublime. If I ever say that I want to move to some place more than thirty minutes from the ocean stage an intervention.
I can just see, in this picture, a glimpse of the young man he's going to be.


And Sunday, Father's Day...yawn. The husband went fishing for twelve hours, in the sun on the ocean. He caught two fish and a bit of a buzz and with entirely too much striped bass we hosted an impromptu cookout for my family. Not pictures of the fish or the sunburned husband...

But I will throw in a picture from Burial Hill because, well, why not? We went back to the seaside town yesterday for some letterboxing and because I wove in some errands with the fun the day was pretty much complaint free and with the exception of the CLOSED best slush place on earth - it was all good.

Plus I let the girlie take some pictures. She seemed to gravitate towards sepia.
An oceanfront playground for Jen. As she will be seeing alot of this place in a few months.

A church for Blackbird.

The brother with his newly purchased camera. I love this lawn mowing gig he's got.

And some gratuitous motherly pride:






Flag Day from Jenny on Vimeo

Some of those parents would call them 'teachable moments' or any assortment of treacly crap.

His former hockey coach would say 'Suck it up, Buttercup'.


They both apply.

We went to the dentist yesterday, even though he swore - as he got off the bus - that his teeth did NOT bother him. They're fine, FINE Mom. Now can I go play baseball?

Of course the dentist didn't have office hours in the nearby office - we had to travel. And be the last appointment of the day (i.e. 45 minute wait time) but such is life. He gets into the chair, the dentist squirts some air on the tooth to dry it out and whammo - the boy goes all snakelike. He was squirming and fighting and then he ripped the cotton thing out of his mouth and sat straight up. The dentist, who specializes in pediatrics but apparently has the patience of a gnat, stepped back and said he was done.

There is no doubt it hurt. None. I have to say, though, I was a little surprised at how snippy the dentist got with us, mostly the son, but I could tell he was judging me based on the boy's minor fit. Whatever, judge away, dentist man. I know my boy has precisely zero pain tolerance - I used to have to pull splinters out while he was asleep because he would kick and flail if I tried any other time. And ripping a bandaid off? You'd have thought I was doing a skin graft.

I do take some responsibility for said wimpiness...over the years, because he used to go so hog wild, I've let him handle things himself a bit more - his usual course of action is ignore, ignore, ignore. And foolishly, I didn't mess with it. But sometimes I'd see him with the tweezers, trying to get at a splinter or something and I'd think there was some light at the end of the tunnel.

Anyway, the boy refused to lay back down and the dentist didn't even try to cajole him. We were told to get into the root canal guy as soon as we could and that the next week will be a world of hurt every time the kid tries to eat something that isn't pretty much room temperature. Never mind if he bangs his tooth and totally exposed nerve on something.

So we left the office and the boy started to cry. I hugged him and told him that he had his chance and made his choice and now has to live with his decision. The entire ride home and all of last night he was kicking himself for not getting it done. The husband and I were the very picture of calm, rational people while we gave him a straw for his drink and cut his lukewarm hotdog into bits. We explained how the short time of kind of intense pain is far less to deal with than one week of drawn out, intermittent but intense pain.

He's completely bummed as today is the last day of school and they're having popsicles (too cold!) and a fiesta in Spanish class with his favorite, tacos (too hot! too crunchy!). I am bummed for him. And this next thing might make me a fairly horrible person - I'll admit that I'm also secretly semi-pleased and totally wondering if this is finally the thing that will make him realize that he does in fact just have to suck it up. Buttercup.

Flag Day

We hope you have enjoyed our flag day presentation and we hope we have taught you a little about the flag of our country.

That's it. The girlie's big stage debut. Today is the big kindergarten flag day celebration - the preparations have been going on for weeks. God Bless America has been burned into my brain. Or one verse of it has, anyway.

My girl is beside herself with flag day giddiness and has dressed herself up especially for the day. A red flag shirt, white shorts with red and blue stars, two red white and blue homemade bead bracelets and a red white and blue headband. She is beyond proud of it and it doesn't look that bad...so who am I to argue?

The boy is unable to bite into any food at all with his front two teeth. He tried bread and butter last night and judging by his reaction - the pain/heebee jeebee feeling must've shot through his mouth. Just before he left for school this morning he admitted that it was 'uncomfortable' and could I make him a lunch he could tear or break into little pieces so he could place it in his mouth, well past those front teeth, and chew with his molars? Poor kid.

3:30 Arrive home to find the messy kitchen that I left and nervous boy on couch.

3:37 Look in boy's mouth to find that the sealant stuff is completely missing. Hello nerve.

3:37:10 Kick self for second guessing and not acting on intuition.

3:38 Call nitrous oxide endodontist - lucky guy - he's on freakin' vacation until next week. On call replacement doesn't use gas. Hate the on call replacement.

3:45 Call dentist. Where I am put on hold. For far too long.

4:13 Hang up. And continue to wait for the dentist to return my call.

4:14 Hug son as stress is eating him up. As if we all don't know the anticipation of pain is usually far worse than the pain itself.

4:25 Reconsider the make your own sundae thing I planned for Friday. Ice cream on a nerve? Probably not a wise choice.

4:55 Wonder how we're going to pay for all of this.

The Day So Far

7:30 a.m. wake up. Bus comes at 7:25.

Pack for a field trip to a beachy/lake place.

It's fifty eight degrees and looks like rain.

7:45 a.m. drive across town, in pajamas so the boy won't miss the trip.

8:24 a.m. Phone call from his school. Which I think is the autocall thing telling us the trip was postponed. I'm in the middle of giving the girlie a bath.

8:30 a.m. Called dentist's office to cancel the boy's appointment for sealants that was to take place later this morning. Had to wait until today because the weather forecast was so iffy for the field trip.

8:35 a.m. Checked voice mail. Surprise it's his teacher. He broke a front tooth. Again!

8:36 a.m. Hang head and wonder if the 8:30 line item would be example of irony. Never sure about that one.

8:38 a.m. Leave message for teacher. As they're already on their way.

8:48 a.m. Report from teacher - he's nervous, not in pain and then I tell her what to look for - to see if the nerve is exposed. She's in her car and will have him call me.

9:09 a.m. Boy calls, no pain - silly accident. What broke was just a part of the sealants that ar covering the formerly exposed nerves. Tell boy to steer clear of popsicles and swimming.

9:14 a.m. Second guess my decision not to go pick him up or at the very least check his teeth.

9:26 a.m. Still second guessing.

9:27 a.m. Must leave for work.

Finding the Loopholes in Child Labor Laws

Amy has posted about this a few times and seeing that I am always ready to give up some sort of chore I thought we'd give it a go.

Once a week, during the summer (and beyond if life doesn't interfere) the chillins will be responsible for planning and cooking a dinner. Nothing too fancy and it's got to be something we like or at the very least be willing to try.

The kids were beside themselves, checking out cookbooks and discussing options - and almost as importantly - not bickering. It was decided that the first time would be a trial run and that homemade pizzas and a salad would be the menu. Well, mostly english muffin pizzas but seeing as I can not stand them, the boy made me a regular crust. The girlie made a salad with rice wine vinegar dressing and far too many tomatoes.

Both were voted as the best salad and pizza consumed in many a months. The boy, as usual, has grand ambitions We'll cook everything for an entire day - breakfast and lunch AND dinner. I know better... his grand ambitions usually end up like the guinea pig or the night crawler business - a chore... and he has been the bonafide genetic recipient of my chore hating gene. You reap what you sow and all of that.

And because we're nice folks we "let" them wash the cars. We're good like that.

So I was suckered into one of those hostess parties. One of those, come on over for a sampling of snacks and some cocktails while you buy stuff and I get some free dip mix parties. I’ve only hosted one other party like this in my life and it was an open house for a local lady that makes her own scrumptious soaps and bath products and that was like ten years ago – which is neither here nor there and now I’m just blabbering. Anyway…with this party you receive a kit to make most of the dips that are served, a bread and a pound cake. Nothing is difficult, but naturally, being prone to shirking all commitments – I totally regretted the decision to hostess.

Fast forward to the Tuesday evening before the party. I’m checking my kit because if I’m not just prone to shirking commitments – I also am a complete misplacer of items. A loser, for lack of a better word. I leave the mixes on the loveseat, on top of my knitting bag, which they promptly slide behind. Eh, whatever, I think – everything’s there, I’ll food shop tomorrow after work and whip up the stuff while the husband plays hockey. It’s the Eh, Whatevers I should watch out for. Every time I think that I should just stop and do just the opposite of Eh, Whatever. Like maybe picking up the bag of mixes and putting them away.

My son comes home from school on Wednesday and calls me.

“There’s white powder all over the living room floor!!”, he says.

Me: ??? Mind racing, What did I leave out?? Flour? Nope. Sugar? Nope. Baby Powder…would the dog eat powder? Nope. Six kilos of fine Columbian cocaine? Hmmm. (As if I’m not kidding).

So I ask if there’s anything else…

“Well”, he says…”your party stuff…”



The dog was apparently unable to resist the beer bread, almond pound cake, garlic, chipolte and onion dips and the key lime cheese cake mix. He destroyed the bags they were in, spread them all over the carpet and licked them until they made a flour like paste that adhered itself to my rug upon drying. Which, then I absent mindedly wet down with rug cleaner because I couldn’t scrape it up. So it was a poison filled paste that had to be shampooed up immediately because as soon as the dog came in the house he’d be licking that mix up until the carpet wore away.

The lady clearly didn’t think I was telling the truth until I jokingly showed her these. The evidence.

When will I learn?

On the Other Hand

While the next two weeks will be crazy busy - it is only two weeks. Then school. is. out.

Rainy Monday is looking like it will turn into Sunny Tuesday.

Both of my kids got much needed haircuts. No more scruffy vagabond look for them.

One last week of Daisy Scouts. And Lacrosse.

My boy is has basically weaned himself off the computer and hasn't played more than an hour or so of any video games in the past two weeks.

And again with the Sunny Tuesday.

The Events Conspiring to Bum Me Out

Rainy Monday.

Nothing of interest happening here.

Mother in Law's birthday today, husband and I have no idea what to give her.

The Sox blew it last night.

These last two weeks of school are shaping up to be the busiest two weeks of the year.

Another coach's wife told me to be careful who I trust this year as there are too many parents with ulterior motives.

Rainy Monday.

Saturday

Well, needless to say - it didn't rain. And it didn't rain yesterday either. So. Still behind on the laundry and vacuuming. It's hard to do crummy old housework when you could be reading outside or watching the kids swim or bike riding at the park or picnicking in the yard.

Plus the girlie and I learned how to finger knit and look...

she made herself a belt. And a bracelet for her teacher. And some long chains for godknowswhat. There's a little knitting group that meets at the library and she wanted to go in the worst way. She was beaming when we walked in and then, to be able to teach her skill to a 12 year old and the knitting guru lady? Over the moon.

Yesterday a bunch of the boy's friends that didn't attend the four day long field trip played hooky and one of them had a small pool party in the morning. Which was all good.

We're fairly good friends with the family and the mom oh so graciously invited the girlie to stay (as she is in afternoon kindergarten and the mom had invited me to stay too) - she was invited to play whiffle ball and pickle in the pool. One of the guys. She is probably half in love with two or three of them by now. One of the boys and yet, soooo much a girl.

We've always had a lady slipper or three growing either in our yard or on the path to the pond. This year there's probably twenty of them. Not sure why I'm telling you all, but that is the whole point of this blog thing, right?

Today I am off to the grocery store, soccer, liquor store, strawberry picking (eh, maybe) and a cookout. It is sunny and I'm not folding clothes. To hell with it.

I've got it bad

During the boy's lacrosse practice I sat in my car with my iPod playing Tessie and other Red Soxish songs while I read the Surviving Grady book. Again. I cry everytime at the end. The stories about families and grandparents and the long, long wait between championships...it gets me every time.

I have a raging case of pennant fever.

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The girlie bought lunch in the cafeteria the other day (first time - big news when you're in kindergarten) - a grilled cheese sandwich, chips, pickles and chocolate cake. Hello, Mr. Sodium. This from a school that has mandated that kids must bring healthy snacks from home...no junk - no cookies, cupcakes, fruit roll ups or chips - stuff like that. And really, I'm okay with that...it's pretty much what we do anyway. But then you go and serve a salt filled lunch and top it off with a piece of cake?

Fools.

And the boy's school? It's in the same district and they sell little debbie cakes and cookies and such to the kids at lunch. And there's no snack restriction. WTF - a little consistency please?

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Am behind on the laundry and the vacuuming. Hope it rains tomorrow.

I did the purse thing awhile back. The bag has changed but the lack of organization remains. It's how I roll.

This weekend was a wee bit AWESOME. There was some Entourage, Rome and Quinceanera watching, some Nevada Barr and E. Annie Proulx reading, some pond raking (nobody likes a leafy bottom), a bit of blog reading and chinese food consumption (much cheaper when you're buying for one).

And then they returned.

The boy had an absolute meltdown. He missed me terribly, he hated me immensely. Such is life. It was all brought on by an onset of 'hey, my friend might invite me over so now going to the Paw Sox with the family is a HORRIBLE idea.' It quickly spiraled downward but there was more weighing on his mind and after a bit of crafty deducement I figured it was the stress of the impending field trip. The impending Four Day field trip. None of his friends were going, he had just been away for two days (and according to my husband, he was saying how much he missed me before they were even north of Boston), his teeth are now needing the root canals...they are starting to hurt, a three hour bus ride - it was all too much.



So to the Paw Sox we went. We left too late, the seats were general admission and were horrible and practically non-existent. We hung at the right field wall ducking foul balls. Can I just say that if, as an adult, you want to hang at the wall - don't knock over kids to get the fouls. Don't. Just duck. Or go somewhere else. There are alot, not ALOT of jerks out there. I'm just sayin'.

And there were fireworks, so that was a bonus.

The turtles are gone, released back into the wild. Still not sure what kind they were...the second one the boy found was even smaller than the first and he wasn't so nice. Kept trying to bite.
Here's the first, larger and nicer, turtle. Not sure why anyone would really like a turtle for a pet...yawn, yawn, yawn. Plus I don't really 'get' animals that could give two shits about their owners. I lump cats in with this classification. Quite possibly the guinea pig too, but at least he doesn't scratch and hiss and he wouldn't pee all over the bed because he was pissed about the color of the sky or some such nonsense.


The boy did NOT leave for the field trip this morning, we called the whole thing off. We kissed the fee goodbye but we were left with a much happier son. A fair trade.

Just got word...

they're staying in Maine for another night.

I'm going to a party where I will only have myself to be responsible for. While in theory it sounds good, I'm wondering if I'll be lonely.

Then again, I think I'm going to pick up some milk so I can eat my breakfast at the pond tomorrow morning. Honey Smacks, sunglasses and a book. Maybe even a swim.

It's seven thirty one.

The family, i.e. the husband and two kiddos, has just left for a twenty four hour jaunt to Maine.

Leaving me to my own devices.

Happy Friday!

Well, you guys.

Thank you so much for the birthday wishes and kind words. It was all very much appreciated over here.

The husband tried to secretly arrange for the families to come over for cake but 1.)Irish Whisper and 2.)My mother in law just doesn't get the 'surprise' part of surprise and she kept saying "So, we'll see you tonight" when I spoke to her earlier in the day.

I got some gift cards, some money, earrings and a wooden plaque that says "I Love Angels" with handpainted flowers. hearts and a winged angel. Yeah, I KNOW but it's from the girlie so it won't be going in the woodstove any time soon.

We have a baby turtle, quite possibly of the snapping variety, that's living in a big rubbermaid container on our kitchen counter. His shell is the size of a nickel. He's completely adorable and just went on his first car ride to the boy's school. We're thinking of raising him up as a pet and trying to train him not to snap. Oh, yeah....no we aren't.

This one is swiped from Blackbird (and Badger).

If I was an hour of the day... I'd be 9:30 a.m. (on a sunny day)
If I was a planet... I'd be Saturn.
If I was a direction... I'd be east.
If I was a piece of furniture... I'd be book shelves.
If I was a liquid... I'd be lemonade.
If I was a sin... I'd be envy.
If I was a rock... I'd be cobblestone.
If I was a tree... I'd be a beech.
If I was a fruit... I'd be a blueberry.
If I was a flower... I'd be a lilac.
If I was a climate... I'd be snowy.
If I was a musical instrument... I'd be a hmmm. acoustic guitar, I guess.
If I was an element... I'd be Water.
If I was a color... I'd be blue.
If I was an animal... I'd be a bear.
If I was a sound... I'd be a canoe paddle slicing through an otherwise silent pond.
If I was music... I'd be that song Brandy.
If I was a music style... I'd be classic rock.
If I was a feeling... I'd be grateful.
If I was a book... I'd be Home Ice by Jack Falla.
If I was a food... I'd be buttered, salted popcorn.
If I was a place... I'd be our pond.
If I was a flavour... I'd be raspberry.
If I was a scent... I'd be freshly mowed lawn.
If I was a word... I'd be "mom".
If I was a verb... I'd be "forget".
If I was an object... I'd be a Patriot's season ticket.
If I was a part of the body... I'd be the eyes.
If I was a facial expression... I'd be a raise of the eyebrows.
If I was a cartoon character... I'd be Velma.
If I was a movie... I'd be On Golden Pond.
If I was a shape... I'd be a circle.
If I was a number... I'd be 2.
If I was a season... I'd be Fall.
If I was a sentence... I'd be "Happy Birthday. To me."

Oops, that was two sentences.

Thanks, Jen for the awesome birthday wish! How 'bout them Sox?!?!

My Sister in Law is doing the Avon Walk this weekend.

If you'd like to donate to a very worthy cause click here.

It's rainy and c-c-c-cold here this weekend - I give these guys alot of credit!

She says she wants them....

Well, it looks like I'll be having my first blogger meet up this weekend.

When I drop my kids off on Amy's doorstep.

A week?!?! It's been a week since I've posted? Oops. The computer just isn't seeing the use it's used to...the weather's too nice, there are books to be read and Sox to be watched.

Mother's Day has come and gone, the husband's birthday too. For mother's day I got to help spread three yards of mulch and watch my boy start the lawn mower and empty the clippings bag - all by himself. Big steps. Of course, he was mowing the neighbor's yard where he gets paid for mowing, as opposed to this yard where he does it because it needs doing.

I also had Lucky Charms and an english muffin for dinner. It's good to be me. Truth be told, I was hanging out with a different neighbor and we were catching the last glimpses of sunlight through the trees and watching her husband build a stone wall. Didn't feel like cooking.

We spent the other half of the weekend, not as a juvenile labor camp - but here and there



doing a bit of this. I've never been to that part of Massachusetts - Ipswich and such. Most of it was beautiful. Until we got to Salem - witch trial, Nathanial Hawthorne - Salem. Not so nice and much too MUCH. A very touristy area surrounded by tenement housing. Hurrah. I'm sure there are some worthwhile stops but they required a search for parking and too high admission fees. Not our type of thing.



I've got the cookout itch happening. Wanting to invite people over, hang around outside with cold drinks and snack foods. I'm needing a blender.... this one or maybe this one, if you're inclined to purchase me a birthday gift. Super Saver Shipping is fine, my birthday's Monday but a day or two late won't hurt my feelings.

And now, just about 30 seconds ago...

The bad part about sitting next to the fire chief's office, aside from the sniveling deputy chief? When they get an emergency call to your daughter's school (she's not there yet, she goes half days) and they race out of here, sirens blaring. Hoping everyone is okay.

Yeah, um, this isn't looking so good

So, I've gone and changed the names to protect the innocent - and it would appear - the guilty.

This is where the husband works and hopefully will continue to work after the jury returns. We've had some major go-arounds lately because I'm not entirely sure that working for a convicted felon is in our best interest but the decision has been made, the die's been cast and now we're riding this out.

Fun, eh?

BUSINESS

XXX Co. fraud case goes to jury; Accused of overcharging government on paving jobs

By STEVE A.

Local Newspaper

BOSTON - Two top executives acted as ringleaders of a nearly decade-long paving fraud scheme at a contracting firm, prosecutors said in their closing argument in the trial of XXX Co.

‘‘It was part of the culture,’’ Assistant U.S. Attorney George H. said yesterday. ‘‘The company was rotten to the core because of the conduct of its president and vice president.’’

Owner and President Mr. XXX and Vice President Mr. YYY are facing charges of conspiracy, federal highway fraud and mail fraud. Prosecutors said they overcharged the government on paving jobs from 1995 to 2004.

Mr. XXX allegedly instructed an engineer to install a switch at the company’s asphalt plant that enabled operators to inflate weight readings on dump trucks and generate tickets for nonexistent loads. The tickets were submitted to the state and to towns as a basis for payment.

Summing up witnesses’ testimony in U.S. District Court yesterday, George H. said both accused men actively participated in the alleged scheme.

Richard G., a XXX Co. paving superintendent, testified that Mr. XXX and Mr. YYY told him to print extra weight tickets, and when he balked, Mr. XXX called him and told him to ‘‘do it.’’

Thomas F., a former paving superintendent, testified Mr. XXX instructed him to overcharge the town of S on gravel for a soccer field. Thomas F. said Mr. XXX arrived at the job, pulled him into his pick-up truck and said, ‘‘I’m going to show you how to make money.’’ Then Mr. XXX wrote out tickets for four nonexistent truckloads of gravel, Thomas F. testified.

Although the S project is not one of those named in the indictment, ‘‘it shows a similar plan he had to cheat government customers on projects,’’ Henderson said.

Thomas F. testified that Mr. XXX told him to submit phony asphalt tickets to make up for ‘‘rainy days’’ in which crews were not paving.

Mr. YYY instructed plant operators to keep track daily of how many tons of asphalt they overbilled, circling the number on a daily production sheet in what Mr. YYY called ‘‘Dick’s Magic Number,’’ Thomas F testified.

John M, an attorney for Mr. XXX, said the prosecution didn’t prove his client participated in a criminal scheme. The extra weight tickets could have had legitimate purposes such as serving as a trade-off for other expenses, John M. said.

Highway Department officials denied that weight slips could be submitted as trade-offs for other expenses, but John M. scoffed at their testimony during his closing statement. ‘‘In the world of state government, no employee is going to admit to a practice that isn’t in your handbook,’’ he said.

John M. also attacked the credibility of Bruce V., the former plant operator who installed the override switch. Bruce V. lied under oath when he was asked about his educational background, Markey said. Bruce V. gave a fictitious name for a Pittsburgh training institute where he received his diploma and misstated the type of degree he received, he said.

Mr. YYY's attorney, George M. , likened the firm’s alleged billing practices to a homebuilder who accelerates bills to a client. ‘‘He inflates what he has really done because he’s behind,’’ he said. ‘‘Maybe he has a bank looking at him and his receivables. At the end of the day, you got the exact job you paid for.’’

There are definitely worse places to watch a lacrosse game

We left the nephew's birthday party on Sunday and it was cloudy, windy and cold. We get here, where we're quite literally surrounded by ocean - and we just know it'll be f-f-freezing. There was hardly a breeze, not a cloud in the sky - perfectly wrong is what we were.

Thanks to Angie and Badger I'm thinking of trying my hand at some vegetables this year, some tomatoes for the girlie (who eats them like apples) and some greens for the guinea pig. All container stuff - easier to keep the dog at bay- plus I don't have a good spot in the yard to rototill.

Well, I'm off to read Harry Potter and the OOTP. Re-read actually - getting ready for number seven. Really though, I'm dropping the girlie off at school, grabbing a cold crystal light and the lawn chair, and THEN I'll be reading. Priorities, man, priorities.

How I wish I could close my office door

It is it wrong to want to holler out to the Deputy that he should stop being such a suck up to the Fire Chief?

I kind of want to wring his neck.

Ripped From the Headlines

Or from Oblivion:

"You know its always a good idea to donate your time to a good cause. Or at least it seemed like a good idea six months ago. But when the actual time comes ... you think ... why did I agree in the first place? Oh yea ... the whole good cause part. So you suck it up and do it."

So, I'm supposed to be helping out with setting up this yard sale that will end up benefiting a local scholarship fund. But, the group that's sponsoring the sale? I don't belong to it, haven't for years and now I only know one person that does belong to it. I told that one person I'd be there and I will be. But not for too long...it's not like they need me there, I'm only going to see what they have for books and such. That whole 'why did I agree in the first place'? Has nothing to do with the good cause, more like hanging out with a friend and chatting and I don't want some lady from some group I don't belong to casting out well deserved evil glances behind my back because I'm doing literally nothing to help and am sort of just in the way. So, in short - I'm not sucking it up and SP is clearly a more responsible adult than I am.

Hey, the Sox pulled another one out of their collective asses last night, eh? Well, eh? to Amy and whomever else might have watched. Probably just Amy. But that is oh-kay. But just so y'know...there will be no room on the bandwagon come October. Not sure about the whole Hit and Watch thing that Manny has been doing more and more of. Dude - just start jogging, it won't kill you.

Sorry if I horrified you all with the Lord of the Flies birthday recap. Granted there was no roasting each other over a spit and chowing down - but believe me, it was only a matter of time.

I just finished reading The Double Bind for my book group and I can't wait to thank the hostess for totally wasting my time. Not that I would do that but I can be counted on for at least a bit of good natured ribbing.

If you plan on reading this book you should skip the next paragraph. Or you could read on and save yourself the trouble.

Ugh, ugh and ugh. I've not had bad luck with Chris Bohjalian (Midwives and Before You Know Kindness) and this one started out with some promise but BUT less than halfway through it got mind numbingly dull (we getcha main character girl - must. develop. pictures.) and then the surprise wasn't that she was going crazy (duh) but that the parts of the novel that I thought were real (like the boyfriend's kids) totally weren't and there was nothing to be gained by that entire vein of story line. Or maybe there was and I was so ready for the story to get a move on that I missed what the point was. I am counting on the book club gals to enlighten me. And by enlighten I don't mean 'she was having a psychotic breakdown because of a horrific incident and see how fast one's life can change and you too could be homeless or beyond help too' . Because I get that. It was just that the "HERE IS THE POINT I WANTED TO GET ACROSS" plot line pretty much ruined it.

The Gatsby tie in was good but because both books were fiction I was assuming that he was using the characters from Gatsby (or descendants of) as characters in this book. But he wasn't and the story was just like Dallas and Newhart - not a dream but just a figment of her imagination. Charming.

My nephew's first birthday party is this Sunday. I'm thinking the party is a little, um, ambitious. The mom was going to have party favors made up for everyone. Goodie bags for the kids, something or other for the grown up ladies and for the men? Keychains with her son's picture on them. Um, hell low? Was it wrong to laugh out loud when my mother in law told me? My MIL talked her down off the ledge - the key chains are a no-go. Did I mention that there were over sixty guests invited? And that they live with my in-laws who now, by default, are hosting a rather large party? And that their backyard is still not at all finished from the septic installation this past fall? Just so you know I am right now shaking my head in wonder.

Must go play Paper Mario before the boy gets home and I have to beat him at H.O.R.S.E. Again.

The Month in Review. In Pictures. In no particular order.

The boy, celebrating his birthday...again. This time at the hockey cookout. Not the greatest of pictures but his hair looks okay in this one - and believe me - that's no small feat.
Lay cross. He runs, he passes, he catches. We watch. Osprey nest we saw the other day while driving to a friend's house. The nest had basically doubled in size when we saw it the next week. And the lady osprey was sitting in there keeping the babes warm. Well, babes to be. Or as we like to call them....omlettes.
The scavenger hunt list from the boy's party. This should've been more fun than it was.

One of the boy's friends is, um, a major pain in the ass. He has friends instead of parents and christ almighty it shows. He turned it into this super competitive race and proceeded to call the other team stupid and gay and what have you. He's the king of inappropriate and loves to see just how far he can push some one.

That some one being me on the day of the party.

The husband was working and this boy is the type of kid that gets all the other boys riled up and acting, not totally out of control, but not how they normally would. And there were a few who run a close second to him in terms of how obnoxious they can be. Good kids gone bad. Well, the last straw was when he and another boy who, quite frankly is a complete angel any other time, peed on the tree where they hid the capture the flag flag.

So that if the other team found the flag he would be able to say "HA HA We peed on that tree." Thereby wrecking the other team's moment of glory.

Which is exactly what happened except it backfired because the girlie was on the team that found the flag (it was the tree that got peed on - the flag was fine). She cried and cried and tattled right in front of everyone.

Well, N starts trying to laugh it off and even my husband (who had just gotten in from work) only said something about that being kind of gross. I lit into the group of them, ripped them a new one, as the saying goes. Not exactly how I planned on ending the party.


End result of a big wind storm that blew through. We didn't lose any major trees but I got out of bed during the height of the storm and watched the trees swaying (and heard them cracking - always fun) in the sixty mile an hour winds.

These are the average size pine trees that surround our home. Wind storms aren't as fun as they used to be. I actually got the boy out of his bed and snuggled him into ours (his bed is tucked into the dormer and another time a tree fell and missed another dormer by inches - wasn't taking a chance) for the duration. The trees are like, sixty to eighty feet tall and we've already taken some of them down but it may be time to reevaluate.
Some deer in a field. In the rain.
Easter. Yawn.

Wacky girlie shot. Because I like it.

Treading Water (which I updated before I posted it)

That's exactly how I feel. Like I'm doing everything I have to just to keep my head above water.

1. A post about my mom that's sitting in drafts. Maybe I'll hit publish tomorrow, maybe not. Haven't spoken to her all week. Must shore up the defenses first.

2. The town wants to put the new police station in the park next door to my house. Basically it amounts to uber annoying lights coming in through my daughter's bedroom windows all night. And extra traffic because no matter what they say the buildout is projected for twenty years which puts us to the size of the town next door - and their police station? Is kind of busy.

3. My husband made a decision that will totally keep us in the same financial straits that we're in now. Super.

Updated Sunday evening to add:

Well, I guess yesterday it was all half empty over here. Today it's better - but marginally. Mostly because I've got to accept what I can't change and just move on. No use dwelling, right?

Praying to the Movie Gods that This is as Good as it SHOULD be

So unless something changes the son has officially made the B hockey team and the husband is the head coach. But, because this organization takes itself waaaay to seriously - we are NOT supposed to know. It is to be business as usual until the teams are finalized. Instead, our friend - the boy's coach from this year - called us at 11:00 p.m. last night after the meeting to give me the lowdown.

The husband was one of the lucky ones. Apparently some of the higher ups actually take the trouble to stack the board of directors to ensure there's enough votes to get certain coaches appointed. A few good coaches got squeezed out by this little end run. The politics of it all kind of boggles my mind.

The trial started Monday for the husband's employer. I can't remember all the charges...mail fraud - probably the least important one of them all - is the only one that ever comes to mind. My husband is apparently loyal to a fault. He was offered another job with a smaller less established company. The details aren't important but the end result with this smaller company would've been alot more money in our pockets every week. He's scared to be the new guy on the block, so scared it would seem, that I think (and this could change by the time I speak to him again) he's staying put.

Ergh.

Oh, did I mention that I think he should jump ship?

On the bright side, the boy got a basketball hoop for his birthday and I can honestly say... we suck.

I have to add that I am so glad the birthday party stuff is done with. I may post about it - and probably will because I am still kind of annoyed and if I post it here no one in my real life will have to listen to me.

Ten Things about my Favorite Ten Year Old

He's officially hit the double digits.

My biggest kid is ten years old, here's a few things about him.

And yes I'm getting my brag on. It's well within my rights today.

1. Sure, they argue...but that boy loves his sister. I watched them walk into the laser tag room, older kids towering around them - he put his arm around her and led her off to the side to find a seat. It was the smallest of things but that's what it's all about.

2. He won a raffle today, for the coveted dalmatian webkin. And he conquered one of his biggest fears...he actually picked up the phone and called the adult in charge of the raffle to claim his prize.

3. One of his best friends acts like a complete imbicile when he's with a group...he shows off, gets uber-bossy and for the life of me I can't fathom why this friendship is still intact. Every time the kid started with his schtick today at the party my boy called him out on the crappo behavior and let it be known that it was over the top. It got dicey a few times but I was impressed.

4. He got a video game for his birthday that I've been wanting (Roller Coaster Tycoon - I know...Geeeeek) and he's SO excited for me.

5. He's playing Guitar Hero at his friends house and he's loving Free Bird and Carry On My Wayward Son. He's not musically inclined. At all. As far as I'm concerned I'll spring for the PS2 and the stinking guitar if it'll get him off Gwen Stefani. Oh, wait...no I won't. I impose a no video game buying zone from the first day of really nice weather until late fall or Christmas.

6. He semi-graciously accepted his first singing dessert that came with dinner tonight. He's painfully shy and it about killed him, but he turned five shades of red and smiled into his lap. Much improved over the crying and hiding under the table that he used to do when he was a preschooler.

7. He laughs so hard when he plays knee hockey that he cannot beat anyone except his sister.

8. He doesn't like me to read aloud to him, hasn't for years. Now, at bedtime, we curl up on his bed - each with our own book - and read together.

9. He recently said that he'd rather camp in Maine because there's so little to do at campgrounds. In Maine there is no electricity, water or toilets. It's woods, woods, a stream and some more woods. He wishes he could live like the Ingalls in the Little House on the Prairie collecting eggs from the chicken house, fishing in the creek and walking to school on their own.

10. He still wants us to lay down with him at bedtime and now, if he has something to get off his chest, he'll request me because he knows that it's our best talking time.


Today is the end of the season hockey party, so he'll be spending the afternoon playing street hockey with all the boys (and girl) he's laughed and hung with all year - what more could he want? And even better... it's not at my house, the dads will be there and I only have to bring cupcakes.

I know, I know.

Been awhile since I hit the publish button, eh?
Well - a word of advice.

When your son suggests that instead of a birthday party (his tenth! ACK!) he be allowed to spend the day at a local laser tag place with three of his best friends - do not, I repeat, DO NOT throw out the idea that a scavenger hunt party (To be held at HOME!) would be kind of cool too.

I'm just sayin'.

He latched onto that idea like a pitbull on a t-bone.

And finally, now that we're coming to the end of spring break...Spring. The weather's been atrocious, the kids have been bickerish. They both slept elsewhere last night which leaves me feeling a bit rambly and empty nesty this morning. It can be too quiet.

And now I have to go scatter some plastic BBs in the lawn and make sure there are only two or three pink legos in the big lego bin.

A Kitchen Meme

In the kitchen with...Jenny (someone's in the kitchen with Jenn-nee, someone's in the kitchen I know oh oh, someone's in the kitchen with Jenn-nee, strummin' on the old banjo...") Sorry, Sarah Louise made me do it...

Variety is the spice of life.
In my cupboard, I have this many spices: Wow, um...like thirty. ish.
Rack or no rack? I have a rack for like eight of them.
Alphabetize? Sorry, no.
Which spice do you use most often? Pepper. Exotic, eh?
Which recipe? Currently? BLT Dip.

It's like the pot calling the kettle black.
Coffee or tea? Neither. Unless it's iced tea.
Do you make coffee at home? No, the husband does but he says I make it too strong.
If you make tea, loose or in bags? Instant. Iced.
How many kinds of tea do you have? Two and one is yucky.

If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.
I use my stovetop: as a counter. (It's gas and it so totally IS a fire hazard.) I've only set one paper plate on fire so far. I have a yankee candle on there too. Actually I don't keep too much stuff on there...the dog can reach any food I might put on the back burner.
I use my oven: All fall and winter. Much less in the spring and basically not at all in the summer. This too is a fire hazard. In our first apartment we had little cabinet space and I kept the wooden cutting board in the oven. Brilliant idea, no? No. I preheated the oven and sometime later smoke was pouring out of the kitchen and my husband opened the oven door to find a red, blistering (literally), about to combust cutting board. Oops.

Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free?
Soy or cow? Cow, have never even tried soy.
Skim or whole? Skim.
How many gallons a week? The whole family? Um, threeish.


Three items in my freezer (right now):

1. Frozen Waffles
   
2. Chicken Thighs
   
3. Tortellini
   

Three things in my fridge (right now):

1. Milk
2. Easter Eggs
   
3. Pastrami
   

Item I am most chagrined about: Just how empty or filled with almost empty containers my fridge is. Food shopping with the kids during school vacation? Ugh.

Item I bet no one else has: Muffalata spread. Or some expired Ceflex (my doctor's don't regularly prescribe anitbiotics so I'm hoarding what they did give us.)

The Return of the Prodigal Dog

The dog came home around 4:15 a.m. I heard him do his usual "it's nightime so I bark softly with a 'woof ' instead of a WOOF" bark.

The smell of recently sprayed skunk greeted me as I opened the door.

I sigh and begin my search. See, he won't come back INTO the yard because he has his electric fence collar on. It's not worth getting shocked to come back home and sleep on the boy's bed and dine on Iams Weight Control food. So, I wander around and the flashlite beam falls on a pair of yellowish eyes. I can't see anything else so I head in that direction. By the time I get there - he's gone but I hear him running through the leaves. Or at least, at this point, I'm hoping it's him and not a coyote that I'm chasing down. Because that? Would suck.

Anyhow, I next spot him (and it was him - this time I could make out his outline) running by another neighbor's yard. I know he's trying to work out a way to get closer to our yard but he's not keen on electrocution (the baby) so he's giving it a wide berth. I get closer and he runs across my path - not even glancing in my direction. Nice. He goes in a big patch of trees and underbrush in the neighbor's yard. I go in but am quickly blocked by an errant stick filled azelea and some other green stuff. So I back out and walk until I can get a glimpse of him. I call him and he comes out, head bowed down. I take his shocker collar off and he runs. Straight toward the neighbor's porch. Again, nice. I have to physically hold his regular collar and walk him over the invisible fence line. He bolts for the porch, goes in the house, drinks a bowl of water and passes out on the living room floor - too tired to climb the stairs to the boy's room.

His paw pads are h.o.t. hot. Like he's been running on the pavement for a few hours. There ain't a heck of a lotta pavement around here unless you count the main roads and a parking lot in the camp next door. Hmmmm. I've no idea where he's been or what he's been up to.

And for some blessed, it's no longer Friday the Thirteenth reason - the skunk sprayed but it DID NOT spray the dog. Phew.

At least I can sleep tonight.

it's 11:45 p.m.

The dog ran through the electric fence (with the shock collar on) around four thirty this afternoon and hasn't come back yet.

Our friends didn't see him at the Little League fields. The police/dog officer hasn't been called.

Guess who's nauseous and won't be getting any sleep?

A Few Things

My girl is totally reading. She read The Giving Tree to me last night. I cried. Not from the sheer joy of my baby reading but that story tears me up. Well, plus my baby read it to me.

Another girlie thing: She will ignore every part of Survivor but when the challenges come on - she's all business. She actually claps for the teams and cheers when they come on the screen. She doesn't quite get my love of YauMan but she will, she will.

The boy and I saw five deer last night while we were doing some errands. We pulled over to watch them graze and walk around. I never get tired of that.

My printer died and I'm getting a fancy schmancy new one. Well, not really fancy schmancy but new. And for whatever reason it was forty dollars cheaper on the Staples website than in the store AND it was shipped next day for free. Seems impossible and maybe there is some garganutan screwup but I've got my fingers crossed that I'll be scanning and copying and color printing by later today.

The dog snores as loud as a passed out drunk man.

Guess who has a book report due on Friday?

Yeah well that would be my kindergarten girl.

Somebody, shoot me.

Now.

Uplifting and positive?

Is that what I said before?

Yeah, well strike two.

Not really...just being my usual contrary self.

We actually just had a great night out at a friends house. So nice when your kids are all of similar ages, the boys are best friends and you can laugh until you cry.

G'nite now.

Okay, yeah so that was mean spirited, wunnit?

Well, a girl can only take so much. Yesterday she apparently wanted to start the 'trash it up' thing a bit early because when the girls couldn't find six of the plastic eggs she suggested we just leave them because she was cold.

That's the way to show 'em.

Moving on.

I have gotten entirely too much sleep for the past four nights and it has finally caught up with me. I woke up at 3:18 this morning and let the dog out and cleaned the kitchen. Then I figured I'd read for awhile because sleep? Not happening. I went to bed around 4:40 a.m. still not tired...I fell asleep before the husband left for work around 5:45. My girl let me sleep until 7:30 when she not so gently reminded me that I was supposed to hide some more plastic eggs for her to find (while her brother was at a friends house).

The never ending egg hunting.

Did I mention I'm not a huge fan of Easter?

Am I so totally negative all the time? Or just lately? Or just today?

Oh, and the boy doesn't believe in the Easter Bunny anymore. One down, one to go. Not really, I mean, it just paves the way to the big S-A-N-T-A question but damn, I wish I didn't have to go outside at 5:30 a.m. to hide the eggs. And no, we can't do it the night before...the dog will eat them, shells and all.


Okay, before I go I will think of one good and uplifting thing to post here...

um.

so, maybe not.

Strike One.

Daisy Scout Correspondence or Why I Want to Scream by Six Thirty on Thursday Evenings

oh yeah; you know how we have trash pick up planned on a certain day? well...how about if we ask for a volunteer (s) (parent?) to 'trash it up' for us? you know; sort of litter

out on the fields of twc...maybe in the playground area ;' or near the edges somewhere....so we won't get in the way if there is something going on....

it can be easy stuff for the girls to pick up; like plastic bottles...crumpled up newspaper...nothing gross.!!!!!!

Note: Fucking "Trash it up"? Seriously, she'd have someone go and litter all over the place. I'm sure the parks department would LOVE that idea. (And no they wouldn't as I spoke with the chairman yesterday)

My reply to her: "As far as the trash pickup goes, if the girls miss even one piece of rubbish we’ve essentially done a disservice to the park. I think they could handle picking up real trash, it may be a little gross but littering is gross and that’s the whole point"

Jenn and I have to find out 1.) the weather for next Thursday!!,

and 2.) if we can do this outside of the library......

*****Hey Jenn....let's look into the old Town Hall right near the library!!!!

we will let all of you know before next meeting where the egg hunt will be. stay tuned!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

********important!!!! have the girls wear their daisy tunics next week! a.) if they are outside; they will be recognized as girl scouts...not just little girls running around !!!! and b.) they can put their plastic eggs that they find in their little pockets of the tunics!!!!!!!!

Note: (gah! what's with the italics?? - sorry it's copying her format) Next to the Old Town Hall, eh? Okay, let's review. This building sits at the convergence of three main roads and one of the town's two stop lights. There's also a parking area and a deep detention basin as well as landscaped flower beds...perfect for tuniced little girls to be running through.

I will do that today...

soooooo

if anyone is Willing to try to sell the remaining boxes...it would be helpful; otherwise; we have to buy them.

sorryyyy

Note: So many oooooos and yyyyyys - whyyyyyyy?

S: please still plan on bringing snack/drink because there is a separate area away from the tumbling area especially for snack-time.

Note: Yeah, S. Please bring a snack because the girls only have fifty minutes in this tumbling class we paid entirely too much to attend and I think it's VITAL that they take ten minutes of that time to have cupcakes and juice boxes. Not that we could do this after the class - that would make too much sense.

B suggested Summer Vacations.

Please bring in 4 or 5 pics that your girl

has happy summer vacation memories of.

actually a lot of our best vacations have been in the winter...I was thinking just "vacations" as the theme, what do others think?

b

Note: What do the others think? The others think that entirely too much time was wasted actually thinking it mattered. Summer vacations or winter vacations....hmmm...a scrapbook made in daisies by a six year old....let's call it 'Vacations' and get over it.

Oh, and a point of clarification - the colors, fonts and dubious use of exclamation points and asteriks? Not my doing. Once I got an email saying she couldn't make the meeting. In eight point Bernhard Fashion (go, try it out...).

So glad it's April.

Still to Come:

1. The reasons why I am tearing my hair out when it comes to corresponding with the Daisy Scout troop leader.

2. How I spent my Tuesday washing sparkling apple juice out of my son's hockey gear.

3. Will Sanjaya actually win American Idol? Is Katie trapped in Tom/Scientology trap?



Okay, never mind.

First of all, I will not be posting about washing hockey gear. Suffice it to say, it's smelly. The team lost yesterday. In a heartbreaker of a game, in overtime. The boy played so well and so hard - I couldn't have been prouder. Anyway, after the game coach herds them all into the shower area and the coaches shake up a bunch of those sparkling juices in the champagne type bottles and they SOAK the kids...and then the kids dumped buckets of ice all over the coach. The place was trashed, the boys left smiling and all was well.

And American Idol and Tom/Katie? Not really going to post on these but they do cross my mind.

But I will be back to post about the daisies. Once I stop banging my head on my desk.

I'm heading out to Ikea today. I really need a dkrogpf and a ergplat and that's the only place I can find them.

Ollie Ollie Oxen Free

Okay. So Lisa tagged me. Much to my delight. Or not, but I like her and therefore will totally do this.

Five things y'all don't know about me.

1. I didn't learn to dive until I was in high school.
2. I have a huge aversion to hair as soon as it leaves its head. The floor at the hairdressers makes me just about gag.
3. When I was a young lass I wanted to marry a mafioso guy.
4. When I put my son's clothes in his closet I sort them by color. That is, IF they leave the basket.
5. I equate my marriage to one of those giant stone ocean jetties. Totally rocky and strangely solid.

Howzat?

And last week's luau? For the boy? So anticlimatic. He stayed in the gym and played dodgeball...for two hours. He was completely oblivious to the girls milling around and all he could talk about was that out of the 75 or so kids playing he was the second to the last one standing and his entire team was chanting his name at the top of his lungs. Who needs girls?

A Book Meme

Hardback or trade paperback or mass market paperback? I usually read trade paperbacks but it would depend on the book, like, for instance - I won't be waiting for the last Harry Potter to go to paperback before I buy it. I've also been known to upgrade to hardcover for a book I have in paperback and happen to have fallen in love with.

Amazon or brick and mortar? Amazon for prices, brick and mortar for sheer enjoyment.

Barnes & Noble or Borders? I like Barnes & Noble well enough but Borders is A.) More accessible; B.) less expensive; C.) big on coupons; D.) offering up a nice holiday thing where you get a percentage of the total amount you spend put into a christmas clubish thing. Yeah, okay, this sat in my drafts folder for less than a week and Borders just did away with their holiday savings club thing. Supah.

Bookmark or dog-ear? Bookmark, you heathens.

Alphabetize by author or alphabetize by title or random? Okay, when I was a kid - I totally libraried my books...tape on the bindings with an F for fiction and the first three letters of the author's last name. I'm a bit more laid back now.

Keep, throw away, or sell? I'm a huge fan of the Paperback Book Swap (see sidebar for linkage). It's perfect for those quick reads and all meh books. But mostly it's keep. Much to the chagrin of my husband.

Keep dust jacket or toss it? Keep.

Read with dust jacket or remove it? Hmm. Mostly with. Unless I'm taking the book somewhere, then I tend to leave it home. I tend to bring a book anywhere I can so they're often jammed in a tote bag and I cringe at ripping those covers.

Short story or novel? Novels. But I love T.C. Boyle's After the Plague.

Harry Potter or Lemony Snicket? Harry Potter. I've read all of Lemony Snicket too (the boy and I had a contest going when he was in second grade and we whipped through ten of them) and I liked Lemony well enough, loved the vocabulary but the last book? Was TERRIBLE. And there's no way I was as anxious to read it as I am for the seventh Potter.

Stop reading when tired or at chapter breaks? Unless I'm falling asleep, chapter break.

“It was a dark and stormy night” or “Once upon a time”? Dark and Stormy.

Buy or Borrow? Buy. I borrow from the library too, but not too often. I find I've got alot on my 'to read' list right here on my shelves. We pass around books at book club too and there's a girl at work who likes to swap but I just remembered I'm missing Bel Canto and Little Children. Both of which I want back.

New or used? Both.

Buying choice: book reviews, recommendation or browse? All three. But reviews and recommendations definitely surpass browsing.

Tidy ending or cliffhanger? Either is okay but since tidy ending doesn't mean happy ending I'd guess I prefer tidy. But not too tidy.

Morning reading, afternoon reading or nighttime reading? How about 'any free minute' reading?

Stand-alone or series? Both.

Favorite series? Am enjoying Nevada Barr's Anna Pigeon series, the illustious Mr. Potter, um and do two books count as a series? Yes? Then Kent Haruf's Eventide and Plainsong. Oh, and the Richard Jury books by Martha Grimes...although I haven't read those in awhile. And there were these mysteries, about a nun...gosh, I loved those books and cannot remember the name of even one of them much less the author.

Favorite children's book? Favorite YA book? I loved A Wrinkle in Time and The Phantom Tollbooth. Cripes, I read alot of books when I was younger and they come back in fits and starts. My memory ain't what it used to be. (Is there an apostrophe in ain't? aint? hmm.)

Favorite book of which nobody else has heard? I don't usually read undiscovered books...

Favorite books read last year? The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood, In a Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson and maybe the Kite Runner (was that only a year ago?), The Girl with a Pearl Earring.

Favorite books of all time? Bel Canto, A Fine Balance, Plainsong, The Handmaid's Tale, Watership Down, East of Eden, Lonesome Dove.

Least favorite book you finished last year? Running with Scissors. Ugh.

What are you reading right now? Killer Angels by Michael Shaara but I'm finishing it tonight. Again, this sat in drafts....now I'm reading Goodnight, Nobody by Jennifer Weiner.

What are you reading next? The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy. Maybe. Probably. We'll see.

Okay.

I'm back.

They WON!

Next week is the Championship Game for the entire conference. You can bet we've got our fingers crossed.

Must go. The girlie is trying to sleep but is coughing her brains out. I just didn't want to be accused of making you wait a WEEK for the results or anything *clears throat - looks at SP*.

What? You DON'T want to come?

Too early?

Well, you're coming anyway. At least for a few minutes.

Tomorrow. Playoff Game. Six a.m.

You guys want to come?

1. James/Rocky/Droopy Eyed Drama Queen Malcontent.

I am thinking it is early in the game for these men, although I use that term loosely, to be keeping him around because no member of ANY jury would ever vote for him. He disgusted me. I was hoping, with all the editorial foreshadowing, that he would be the one to go. He should have been the one to go. But the "men" were lacking a body part that would typically define them as such (read: BALLS) and they voted for Anthony. Whose only fault was not telling J/R/DEDQM to go fuck himself - which would have gained him what? Respect? Yeah, maybe in the movies. I did want to shake him and say "Don't you put one more goddamned log on that fire" because cripes almighty - but I don't see that ass taking that as his wake up call to treat Anthony with more respect, to change his entire personality from that of a complete moronic hypocrite to someone with one iota of decency. Not when he has the cameras and the other boys to show off for. And Jeff, goading him into fighting back...not sure I liked that either.


2. Okay, Red Sox. Papelbon, Papelbot, wow, not much sexier than a guy who knows how to throw a ball like that whatever you want to call him. Starter? Closer? I'd love to see him start, it seems that's what he'd like too. But. Ninth Inning, one run lead...who better to come in and shut another team down? Tavares? Not on your life. The mere thought leaves me queasy. But freaking who else is there? Timlin? Bwahahaha. I don't think he's got enough good innings in him per season to have that job full time.

And Matsusaka? The man can throw. Many, many pitches. So many pitches Varitek needs both hands for signals. I am a bit giddy about this.

3. There is a fourth and fifth grade luau at the boy's school this weekend. And some, not really sure how many...have dates. My boy is NOT among the hormonal crowd as of yet. His best friend, however, is. Some stricter parents are not letting their kids attend because of all the pairing up - I'm not going that route because my guess is that it's going to be a lot of boys hanging out with boys and girls with girls and there won't be all that much to worry about. But. I may go and play hall monitor with a friend of mine. I hate to over parent and I'm really not too concerned about the boy - girls are way more trouble than they're worth to him at this point. But I want to know what everyone else is doing so we can have a bit of a conversation here and there about it. In the past weeks I've heard of a few fourth grade boys that have actual fourth grade girlfriends. They go to the movies, the mall. Actual outings. Huh? Is it just me? Is this acceptable? I'm saying a big fat 'no it ain't' but maybe I'm out of the loop. No. I'm not. I'm just kind of blown away that other parents are letting their babes grow up so fast, too fast.

So. That's it. I'm off to conference with the boy's teacher since I haven't even seen her since the open house in September and she's not scheduled any parent/teacher conferences with me so far (I set this one up). She did write on his report card that she's concerned she's not seeing his best work. Um. His quarterly report card? How come I haven't heard about this before? Ergh. I also get to discuss the teacher that gives my son a stomach ache because she keeps them so long they have to run through the empty halls to catch their bus.

I have opinions

on last night's Survivor

on the state of the Red Sox pitching

on fourth graders who are taking dates to this Friday's luau.

But first, I must shop. We are sorely lacking in the grocery department.

A Hat Trick of Sorts

Good news - the dog, the cancer...they removed the entire lump and no other treatment is needed. Wahoo!

Of course, we're still treating him for the lyme disease he's got and he's still wearing the collar so he doesn't scratch open the wound...but pffft...that's nothing.

2nd Wahoo! My husband got the call to go back to work starting the first week of April. Not that we won't miss him but I can reclaim my space again in two short weeks.

He's gotten a decent amount of work done on the girl's bed...I'll have to get a picture or two. He might be taking it to his dad's to assemble it - the inlaws have a big cellar and he's going to need some space to work on it (trim boards and such). It's going to weigh a ton, not sure how he's planning to transport it.

3rd Wahoo! The boys grades have gone through the roof. He was doing well before and now? He's doing really well. Plus the girlie is starting to read the easiest of chapter books. It is music to my ears.

I suppose it's called insomnia. It's after two a.m. and I'm not a bit tired.

I just finished watching a movie (12 and Holding) and I'm contemplating watching some Battlestar Galactica on the iPod - so as not to wake anyone.

We had a surprise four inches of snow tonight. Which, after this snowless winter - I don't really mind. It's sitting on top of the two inches of solid ice that froze up last Friday. It's perfect snowball/snowman snow...I'm hoping it doesn't rain tonight (this morning?) and ruin it.

I want to be tired not bored and antsy.

Last week I wasn't paying attention and put an earring in the second holes in one of my ears. I haven't worn the whole two earring thing in, let's say, at least ten years. Okay, well now that long neglected earlobe is freaking killing me. I've never had an sort of pierced ear infection and now? I think I do. WTF.

See, how boring and yet chatty I am? Be glad you aren't here...I would be talking nonsense while you did your best to stay awake and humor me. Or you would fall asleep and I would be awake and resentful.

Yeah, so I'm already resentful because you all are sleeping. And I? Am not.